The inventive concepts relate to a semiconductor devices and to methods of fabricating the same. More particularly, the inventive concepts relate to semiconductor devices including silicide regions and to methods of fabricating the same.
A semiconductor device may include an integrated circuit (IC) made up of a plurality of Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MOSFETs or MOS transistors for short). Reducing the size and design rule of such a semiconductor device, i.e., increasing the degree of integration of the device, may thus require a scaling-down of MOS transistors. However, scaled-down MOS transistors may exhibit short channel effects which degrade the operational characteristics of the semiconductor device. Accordingly, research is being conducted on various techniques aimed at fabricating highly integrated semiconductor devices that offer better performance. In particular, research is being conducted on ways to increase the mobility of charge carriers (electrons or holes) in MOS transistors with the aim of developing high-performance semiconductor devices. Also, research is being conducted on ways to form low-resistivity silicide layers in MOS transistors, which can minimize contact resistance and sheet resistance of the gate, source and drain of MOS transistors, and thereby allow for the production of more highly integrated semiconductor devices.